Written question asked by John Stanley (Conservative), in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 11 July 1997. It was answered by Tony Lloyd (Labour) on Friday, 11 July 1997 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: What steps have been taken by the British Government since 1992 to support democracy and free and fair elections in Sierra Leone.

Answer: Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken by the British Government since 1992 to support democracy and free and fair elections in Sierra Leone. [7800] Mr. Tony Lloyd: We contributed £3 million towards the 1996 electoral process and sent five observers to join the UN election monitoring group. Baroness Chalker visited Sierra Leone in January 1996 and met with the Sierra Leone government, opposition parties and NGOs. We have actively supported NGOs in the promotion of good governance. We have strongly condemned the 25 May coup and are pressing for a peaceful solution to the crisis. We are active within the international organisations that have a role to play, including the United Nations, the Commonwealth and the EU. We support the efforts of regional states to restore the democratically elected government.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 7800; 297 c625W
Session: 1997-98
Subjects: Administration Development aid Bilateral aid Elections Sierra Leone
Contains statistics: Yes